In 2023, Alpina is celebrating its 140th anniversary, and kicking off a series of celebrations by being present for the first time at the Watches and Wonders watchmaking exhibition in Geneva. To honour this anniversary event, Alpina is adding four new models for thrill-seekers to its Alpiner Extreme range, relaunched last year.
Two of the pieces – each in a limited edition of 888 – are new versions of a rare complication, the atypical Automatic Regulator; Alpina is probably one of the last firms to still be making it. There are also two new versions of the Automatic, whose three central hands offer a more traditional reading of the time.
The advent of the integrated steel strap
In a first for the brand, three of these new Alpiner Extreme Automatic and Alpiner Extreme Automatic Regulator models now feature an integrated steel strap. Especially designed for the Alpiner Extreme line, the strap does away with the first link (which often forces a case to be wider). To ensure plenty of flexibility and comfort, Alpina has opted for transverse links and a wider, slimmer central link.
The sign of the triangle
Alpina has kept the Alpiner Extreme line’s iconic signature on the dial: a triangular motif that draws inspiration from the firm’s logo. The motif also features on the counterweight of the seconds hand on the Automatic version, recalling Alpina’s beloved snow-capped mountain peaks.
On both the regulator and three-hand versions, all the hour markers are applique and, like the hands, luminous. Only the date is present on the Alpiner Extreme Automatic (at 3 o’clock), whereas the Alpiner Extreme Automatic Regulator adopts a highly distinctive layout of three counters: the hours at 10 o’clock, the seconds at 6 o’clock, and a large central hand for the minutes. This unusual way of telling the time is in fact very simple and intuitive, with the trio of hours, minutes and seconds read off from left to right and from top to bottom.
Three versions with steel, one with rubber
The first Alpiner Extreme Automatic Regulator really has been designed around its new steel strap, which sets the overall tone of the piece. Here, it comes with a blue dial and grey sun-brushed counters. The shades are at once clear-cut and seamless, with the blue and grey going together as naturally as the sky above a sunlit Alpine peak.
The new streel strap takes even greater pride of place on the Alpiner Extreme Automatic: both models are fitted with it. On one, the dial’s grey colour is matched by the brushed grey of the strap, while the second version sports a navy-blue dial with a touch of the same blue on the crown grip.
The fourth and final model is the Alpiner Extreme Automatic Regulator on a rubber strap, with its two counters set on a black dial. This assertive, sporty design is also very easy to read, with silver hour markers and hands.
